East Palo Alto Chief of Police Jeff Liu and Mayor Antonio L<0x00F3>pez attributed the drop to an increase in trust between the public and the police department following the adoption of community policing practices.

In the 1990s, when crime hit its peak, East Palo Alto residents feared and mistrusted their police department, whose rogue cops abused residents, sometimes harassing and beating them. Today, Liu is proud of the department he runs, which follows a community policing model that includes holding monthly open meetings to discuss crime, giving back to the community through charity events and being a front-facing force, with many officers on a first-name basis with city residents.

"I think we have a great deal of community trust," Liu said. "I'm really proud of the relationships that we have with our community members at all levels."

Liu said residents willingly served as witnesses, shared surveillance videos and offered police information about deaths, helping the department solve all five homicides that occurred in 2022. However, Liu said he could not comment on the status of specific cases since none have been adjudicated yet.

"With the return of what we consider community policing, it has brought about a trust factor where folks are not so fearful of the community police, but they work with them to try to eradicate crime," said the Rev. Deborah Lewis-Virges of Saint Mark AME Zion Church in East Palo Alto.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recognizes community violence as a "critical public health problem" in the United States, suggests that involving community members in prevention efforts and addressing underlying issues that contribute to violence can improve safety.

Liu also credits the drop in homicides to the city's retention of high-quality police officers — an issue the department has historically struggled with — that was partly aided by the addition of a competitive officer pay package in 2022. But despite the salary increase, Liu's officers, like many former East Palo Alto residents, still cannot afford to live in the area.

The 30-year-old city has faced numerous challenges over the decades, including racist real estate tactics, the crack cocaine epidemic, high rates of violent crime and gang activity and police corruption and misconduct, the San Mateo County website states. It was particularly susceptible to drug activity due to its proximity to U.S. Highway 101, Mayor L<0x00F3>pez said. He described East Palo Alto in the 1980s as a "one stop shop" for illegal drug purchases.

The city earned its nickname as the "murder capital" of the nation when 42 homicides occurred in 1992. Since then, the number of homicides per year peaked at 16 and 15 in 1997 and 2005, respectively, but has otherwise stayed below 10, according to East Palo Alto Police Department data. The years 1996, 1999, 2017 and 2019 only saw one homicide each.

Today, residents fear displacement due to rising house prices, a symptom of gentrification. East Palo Alto, as some remaining residents are quick to point out, has undergone a vast transformation as its demographics have shifted, and its median household income has spiked over the past two decades from about $29,000 in 1989 to about $103,000 in 2022, according to U.S. Census data. The census also reported that about 60% of homes in East Palo Alto were valued at more than $1,000,000 in 2022.

Mildred McKean, a resident and activist whose family has been a pillar of the community for generations, said that with the loss of residents, violent crime has only moved beyond the borders of the city.

Last year, McKean's cousin, Michael "Mike Mike" McNack, died in a suspected murder in Union City. He had relocated to the area about seven years ago but was still present in the East Palo Alto community, McKean said. Police have not released any suspect information about his death, but McKean alleged that his killers were also former East Palo Alto residents.

McKean pointed to a lack of economic resources, including mental health services that people who have experienced trauma from violent crime could benefit from, as a reason that the cycle of violence may continue.

"We just take our trauma with us; we pack it up like we pack up and move out of East Palo Alto," she said. "We take that everywhere we go, we never get to unpack that baggage because we never deal with it. We don't know how to deal with it. And we don't have the resources to deal with it."

Lifelong East Palo Alto resident Brownie Rogue constantly interacts with his community through his work with Tha Hood Squad, a nonprofit art collective dedicated to creating social change, particularly regarding public health and safety. Rogue said that it is too early to be celebrating the drop in homicides, noting that many families are still dealing with the ramifications of past deaths and that crime occurring outside the city also impacts residents.

Rogue, who said he has personally experienced harassment by East Palo Alto police officers, said that, for some, officers are often not present in their community and that some residents still fear them. For this reason, he does not believe that the police should be taking credit for the drop in homicides.

"I wouldn't say the police has anything to do with it," he said. "I just feel like maybe the community is finally tired of all the violence that has been going on over the years and is just trying to stay away. A lot of people moved out of the city for that reason."

Still, officials said that educators, religious leaders and city staff have made a concerted effort to stifle crime with more prison reentry programs, homeless shelters and after-school services that have all helped improve public safety.

Some community members are involved in crime prevention efforts in official capacities. Lewis-Virges is a member of the Community Safety Team, a group of concerned East Palo Alto residents who look at ways to improve safety in collaboration with government officials. The team is roughly two years old and devotes itself to mitigating all threats, including violent crime, Lewis-Virges said.

Faith groups were particularly vital in solving the 2022 homicides and have continued to play a role in public safety, Mayor L<0x00F3>pez said. In previous years, when homicides occurred, faith leaders created opportunities for community members to heal and bond, paving the way toward a safer city, he said.

"I don't personally take any credit for those statistics, but we have been engaged with a host of things that I think has contributed to unity in the community," she said.

Lewis-Virges, who is unofficially known as the "community pastor," said that providing youth with positive activities and programs, as well as the availability of city-sponsored job training and development programs, have contributed to a shift in the city that reinforces the safety of the community.

"Once we directed our energy to our youth and we provided them with more hopeful and optimistic choices, I sincerely believe that they took advantage of that," Lewis-Virges said. n